Over the years, I have learned the value of getting out of my office and seeing firsthand how things are going.

Sometimes, this is called “management by walking around.” Some people try to trace this concept to Hewlett-Packard or management consultants like Tom Peters, but the truth is that it has been around for ages. It is just that too few leaders actually embrace it.

I first encountered this idea when I worked for a leader to whom I will always be indebted. Dave was an excellent general manager who found time to roam around and see his organization up close, every day.

I remember being called into his office one day and told that I had completely lost control of my department. Then, he proceeded to tell me all the ways in which I had done so. This was a good, old-fashioned chewing-out, ending with, “I don't know if or how you can recover from this”— a definite challenge if I ever heard one.

I took the hints and repaired the damage by getting out of my office, talking to people, asking questions and exchanging ideas, just as I assumed Dave had done.

A few months later, Dave came into my office (remember, he roams around) and said, “I would have bet you couldn't turn things around, but you did, and congratulations.” He could not have been more pleased with the outcome.

I realized that Dave had set this whole thing up as a very real lesson and left it up to me to accept the advice and challenge. If I had not tried, he would have fired me with the same ease and comfort with which he was now congratulating me. Dave was and is a great leader. But he would have known nothing about me, would not have known about my department's problems and could not have helped me had he stayed in his office.

If you are associated with manufacturing, you may know this leadership ability by another name: “walking the gemba.” In Japanese, gemba means “the real place.” The basic idea is, as I suggested earlier, that when you walk around your organization (the real place), you get to see and hear what is really going on. Sometimes, you just watch. Sometimes, you ask questions. Usually, you do both.

Suggestions

1. Never stay in your office and conduct business.

2. Get out and roam around your organization (the real place) on a regular basis. Make time on your calendar to do it, preferably every day.

3. Put your ego aside.

4. Watch, ask questions, listen and learn.

5. Get to know your people. Ask questions about them. Tell them what is going on.

6. Encourage your direct reports to do the same (lead by example).

7. Act on information or ideas from your team.

8. Compare your observations (actual conditions) with the way things are supposed to work (ideal conditions).